Metal bath pieces from Moradabad and Aligarh
Moradabad is the ODOP district for metal craft and, since the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, a Town of Export Excellence for handicrafts; Moradabad Metal Craft also has a geographical indication (application 161). Aligarh is the ODOP district for lock and hardware and for metal handicraft, and the Uttar Pradesh ODOP page lists hardware fittings among its products. These are general metal clusters. No official source names them for bathroom accessories, though both make the brass and steel parts such pieces are built from.
Typical routes: brass bodies are sand-cast or pressed from sheet, tubes are bent and brazed, steel pieces are cut, bent and welded. Pieces are buffed, then electroplated (nickel, chrome), PVD-coated, powder-coated or chemically darkened and lacquered for an antique look. Plating and PVD are often done by a job-work unit, not the exporter, which is why finish varies between lots.
Load and fixing checks for rails, hooks and shelves are on wall-mounted bathroom accessories. Decorative brass without a bathroom use is on brass and copper décor.
What we check on metal bathroom accessories
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Base metal | Magnet; weight against the approved sample; XRF reading where the buyer provides or pays for an instrument | Plated iron or zinc alloy where solid brass was ordered |
| Stainless grade | Magnet separates ferritic 430 from austenitic grades; 304 versus 201 needs XRF or a lab, because both are largely non-magnetic | 430 or 201 where 304 was ordered |
| Plating and PVD colour | Pieces side by side with the master under the same light, several angles | Matte black with a brown cast, gold too yellow or red, gloss where matte was ordered |
| Plating quality | Inside curves, edges and hidden faces checked; tape test on coating where the plan says | Bare or thin areas in recesses, blisters, peeling, burnt (dull) plating at edges |
| Lacquer on antique brass | Raking light for missed areas; water drop on a sample piece | Uneven or missing lacquer that will spot and tarnish in steam |
| Rust | Welds, cut ends, screw holes and the inside of tubes checked with a torch | Rust spots or red staining, especially at welds and open tube ends |
| Edges and burrs | Glove-free hand run over edges, screw holes and tube ends | Burrs or sharp edges that cut |
| Salt-spray samples | Pieces pulled at random, sealed and sent to an accredited lab for the test in the buyer's spec, such as ISO 9227 neutral salt spray or CASS for a set number of hours | Corrosion or blistering before the specified hours |
Common metal bathroom accessory defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Typical class |
|---|---|
| Sharp burr or edge that cuts | Critical |
| Wrong base metal or stainless grade | Major (critical if a material claim is printed on the pack) |
| Rust at a weld or cut end | Major |
| Peeling or blistered plating | Major |
| Finish colour outside the master range | Major |
| Thin plating in a recess, not visible when fixed | Minor |
| Light scratches or polishing marks | Minor |
Material claims and chemical rules
- Lead in brass. Most brass alloys contain some lead. Buyers selling into California decide on a Prop 65 warning or test for lead; the test is lab work on sealed samples.
- REACH. EU buyers usually ask for a REACH SVHC declaration for the alloy, the plating chemistry and any lacquer or powder coat.
- Material claims. "Solid brass" or "304 stainless" on the pack or listing is a claim the importer must be able to back. Mill certificates for steel sheet or tube help; see mill test certificates (EN 10204).
- General safety. The EU GPSR covers sharp edges and pieces that can fail in use.
Packing plated metal
Plated and PVD finishes scratch against each other and against carton staples. Each piece should be in its own polybag or sleeve, with foam over corners and tube ends. Antique brass that has been lacquered needs full curing before it is bagged, or the bag sticks and marks the finish. For sea freight, some buyers ask for VCI paper or silica gel in each carton because condensation in the container rusts bare steel and cut edges. We check bags, desiccant and carton marks during the packing check.
What to put in your purchase order
- Base metal and grade for each part, including screws and set screws.
- Finish name and code, with a master piece and colour limits for PVD and antique finishes.
- Plating or coating thickness, if you have a figure, and how it will be measured.
- Salt-spray test method and hours, and how many samples per lot go to the lab.
- Edge and burr rule, and the packing: polybag, foam, VCI or desiccant.
Need a lab test? Lab testing coordination covers sample pulling, sealing and checking the report against the goods.